Saffie Osborne is still smarting after that photo finish in the April 5 UAE Derby (G2).

“I was just going across the line thinking, I was in front. I did,” the British jockey laughed. “His [Heart of Honor] head was in front basically everywhere, bar the line.”

This Saturday, Osborne hopes to upgrade her trip on Heart of Honor and land in Pimlico’s winner’s circle for the 150^th Preakness Stakes (G1). It is an opportunity that she never envisioned but is one she definitely will treasure.

“When I started out as a jockey, the Preakness was probably never a race that was on my radar because it was such an unlikely target for a European jockey to have a ride in,” she reflected, “So to have a horse of this caliber and the ability to go and race in The Preakness is really special.”

That she is sharing this experience with her father Jamie, a former British jump jockey-turned trainer, makes this chance at an American Triple Crown classic all the more meaningful.

The 23-year-old Osborne comes by her skills in the saddle honestly. Her father was a National Hunt jockey for more than a decade, finishing second to Tony McCoy in the Champion Jockey standings in 1996-1997. He retired in 1999 to train horses on the flat. Jamie has had a top runner in the United States before: Toast of New York won the 2014 UAE Derby (G2) and then was second in the Pacific Classic (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Classic the same year.

Heart of Honor is a result of owners Jim and Claire Bryce’s desire to race on dirt in the Middle East rather than in England, where Coolmore and Godolphin tend to dominate on grass.

Foaled in England, Heart of Honor has a pedigree screams success on American dirt tracks. His sire Honor A.P. won the 2020 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and was fourth behind Authentic in the 2020 Kentucky Derby. His dam Ruby Love is by Scat Daddy, winner of the 2006 Champagne Stakes (G1) and 2007 Florida Derby (G1) and sire of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.

The one-month turnaround from the UAE Derby to the Kentucky Derby was too much for the colt, who had to fly from Dubai to the United States and then spend a few days in quarantine. To give the horse more time to acclimate, the Osbornes and the Bryces felt the May 17 Preakness fit their schedule better. It also gave Saffie more time to prepare for her first ride in the United States.

“I’ve been speaking to as many people as possible. Michael Hills, who was a very good jockey here in England, is a good friend of Steve Cauthen, and he put me in touch with him and spoke to him quite a lot about how he thought the race would pan out and about Pimlico,” Osborne shared “Obviously, this is a track that I haven’t ridden at and it’s crucial to do as much homework as possible.”

Even though this will be her first ride on this side of the Atlantic, Saffie Osborne has years of experience under her belt: “I got probably on a pony before I could walk. My dad was a jockey, and obviously, he trains, and we grew up on the yard.”

The daughter of a former jump jockey and a renowned equine artist, a life race riding was “what I always wanted to do. I think my parents always were forcing me to go to school. But for me, it was always going to be horses and being a jockey, really. It was always my dream growing up.”

She got her jockey’s license in 2020 at age 18 and got her first win that July. She earned her first Group win as an apprentice in the 2022 Premio Elena e Sergio Cumani (G3) in Italy and then got her 95^th win, the number of wins an apprentice needs to turn pro, later that year. She also became the first female jockey to win a race at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai last year.

Her mount on Heart of Honor in Saturday’s Preakness marks her as the first woman to ride in that classic since Rosie Napravnik in 2014, but that stat “is not something that I’ve ever really thought about that much,” she observed. “I think for any jockey to get a ride in the Preakness, male or female is a big deal. And I’ve never really thought about the female aspect of it. It’s more just like, whether you’re male or female, you get into this sport and dream of riding in meetings and in races like this. So, the female aspect never really crossed my mind.”

What she is focused on ahead of the 150^th Preakness is the unexpected opportunity to earn a career first: not only to ride in a Grade 1 in the United States, but also to grab a win in a Triple Crown classic in her first ride here.

“Obviously, growing up as a British jockey, I’ve dreamed of not only riding big winners in the UK, but also having the ability to go and ride in all the biggest races around the world,” Osborne observed. “And once the Preakness was put on my radar, I’d say it’s pretty high on my list now.”

Riding in the Preakness is a surprising turn of events for this rising rider, her hard-working trainer father, and the couple behind Heart of Honor as we say goodbye to the old Pimlico and await the rise of a New Hilltop.

For Saffie Osborne, winning “would mean absolutely everything. Any of these races are really special, but when you get to it with your own family and people that are very close to you, it makes it even more special.”